# **GLENGORMLEY Presbyterian Church a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland** **Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023** **Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC104317** 1 ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT** The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 including a Balance Sheet as at that date. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** Glengormley Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 267 Antrim Road, Glengormley, BT36 7QN Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104317) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Janine Asquith Lesley Bell Richard Doggart Jonathan Duff Paul Edwards David Farrow Mark Hewitt David Johnston Derek Kyle Gareth Lenaghan John Lindsay James Lyttle Robin McBride Andrew McClelland Reuben McCormick Kenneth McKinstry Kenneth McLaughlin David Mullan Frank Murray Samuel Raphael Mark Stevenson Mervyn Whittle ## **PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS** Minister REUBEN McCORMICK Clerk of Session DEREK KYLE Treasurer MARK STEVENSON ## **AUDITOR OR INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** FPM Accountants Ltd, Unit 1, Building 10, Central Park, Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim. BT36 4FS ## **BANKERS** Ulster Bank, 2 Farmley Road, Glengormley, Co Antrim. BT36 7QU Bank of Ireland, Antrim Road, Glengormley, Co Antrim. BT36 7QN 2 ## **SOLICITORS** n/a ## **STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT** ## **The Kirk Session** The charity trustees of the congregation are the members of its Kirk Session. Under the congregation’s governing document, The Code, the book of the constitution and government of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Kirk Session seeks to watch over and promote the spiritual interest of the congregation and of persons not connected with any congregation who are within its bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place in the congregation and seeks to further the contribution of the Church to Christian witness and service in the local community. The Kirk Session has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temporal affairs of the congregation including administering all funds and property belonging to the congregation. Members of the Kirk Session are ex-officio members of the Congregational Committee. The Kirk Session consists of the ordained minister and the ruling elders of the congregation. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, the minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote. Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held on the second Tuesday of January, February, March, May, September, October and November. To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant on at its ordinances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are initially nominated if they obtain one third of the votes and elected if they obtain two-thirds of the vote from those who vote at a meeting of the congregation. ## **Presbytery** Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland form of governance, the corporate oversight of a congregation is the responsibility of a Presbytery which superintends generally the spiritual and temporal affairs of the congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Glengormley Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the North Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists mainly of the active ministers of congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly, ministers who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation. 3 ## **The General Assembly** The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representing in one body the whole Church and acting as its supreme legislative, administration and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during the first week in June for worship and to conduct its business. At the end of business, it is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation, retired ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation. ## **DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE** Glengormley Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, as a Reformed Church within the wider body of Christ, is grounded in the Scriptures, and exists to love and honour God through faith in His Son and by the power of His Spirit, and to enable her members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world. The congregation’s spiritual ambition is: ## _**“Falling in love with Jesus”.**_ Glengormley Presbyterian Church is where people bring people to Jesus so we all grow to love Him more. This ambition lies at the heart of the cycle to begin, belong and become. ## **BEGIN** We maker opportunities for people to bring the people they love to church so that they can begin their relationship with Jesus. The intention of people coming to church is that they would know Jesus for themselves/ ## **BELONG** Jesus’ way of life is that, as His followers, we do life together. This means that church is the practice of deep community with people regardless of age, gender, race, ability, background, education or occupation; nurturing fellowship is a sign of growing in our desire to live for Christ. Everyone belongs. ## **BECOME** The pathway for every believer is the way of discipleship. Also, as you become someone who is growing in your love for Jesus, it is as sign of your love for Him that you desire others to know His love aznd so you bring people to Jesus – the cycle (Begin, Belong, Become) is ongoing and interdependent. 4 ## **How then ought we to live?** This might sound simple but it will involve saying ‘yes’ to the Habits, Patterns and Activities that form us to be in love with Christ, but also saying ‘no’ to the Habits, Patterns and Activities that do not. ## **Our core Habits, Patterns and Activities are:** - Worship – giving God glory; - Prayer – practising the presence of God; - Deep Community – life together; - Discipleship – 21[st] century formation; - Outreach – bringing and showing Jesus; - Service – every member serves. Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which: - is characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others; - is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible; - is relevant to people of this time and place. The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as a family of God’s people by being: - A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another - An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ. - An Outward looking Community: where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bounds of our community. - As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, we believe that the Bible is the supreme authority over all we do, and that the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** The congregation meets every Sunday at 10:30am and 6:30pm and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is observed on six occasions during the year and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Lord’s Supper. The congregation holds regular Bible study meetings on Wednesday evenings and we also have home groups which we call “Life Groups” that meet regularly to share and study the Bible together. We have a wide range of organisations including: - Sunday School (GLOW); - Youth Club for primary aged children (Friday Club); - Youth Club for Y7-Y10 young people (Friday Night Thing); 5 - Holiday Bible Club; - Parents and Toddlers; - Bowling Club; - Walking Club; - Presbyterian Women; - Guides; - - We also have a variety of interest groups: Jazz Hub; Gardening Hub. ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **Worship and prayer** The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10:30am and for prayer, Bible study or song café evenings at 6:30pm. Our service is also live streamed each week on our YouTube channel. On 31 December 2023 there were 230 communicant members and 286 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship is 150. ## **Pastoral care** We have a strong commitment to pastoral care. We employ a church visitor who has a visiting list of over 100 housebound members and currently they receive a minimum of 4 visits per year. Elders are assigned a pastoral district of 15 -20 households and, alongside a committee member, visit regularly over the years as they seek to build friendship and understanding of the families under their care. Our Minister attends to the pastoral needs of individual members as they arise, by visiting their own homes, or at hospital. A high level of confidentiality is maintained but when permission is given, we pray for those in need at our regular prayer meetings and at our Kirk Session meeting. Our pastoral visiting in all its forms prioritises listening, prayer and the sharing of the grace of the gospel. ## **Mission and outreach** At a local level the congregation seeks to witness for Christ through what we call our “side door ministry” i.e. all the ministries that operate from our church halls. In a Christian environment they show love and care to all comers. These organisations are often the beginning point on a person’s spiritual journey leading to a sense of belonging and by God’s grace a reality of becoming the person God wants them to be. Additional to our organisations we have developed the foyer of our church building into a café style environment, we call MOSAIC. Various programmes operate from it: Presbyterian Women, Jazz Hub and Gardening Hub. Our congregation is also a very committed supporter of Street Pastors; the Street Pastor teams meet for prayer and coffee on our premises before heading out onto the streets on Friday and Saturday nights. 6 The congregation supports the United Appeal for Mission which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. This fund enables congregations to support the wider mission of the denomination and to do mission and outreach on denominational basis beyond what the congregation could do on its own. The United Appeal Fund provides financial support for mission personnel at home and overseas, assists congregations with the deployment of locally based staff, enables church planting, provides grant support for the upkeep of church premises, assist with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church’s training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregation in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. Our congregation has a Mission Committee and through its oversight we support prayerfully and financially Mission workers throughout the world: - Alison Orr (OMF Diaspora Ministries, Ireland); - Sebastian and Gloria Forjan (Slovenia); - United Appeal for Mission (Presbyterian Church in Ireland). - Project Romania ## **Presbytery** The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church. ## **General Assembly** The minister and one of our elders were nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in October. ## **Property** Our Property Committee continued work in maintaining our buildings. ## **Organisations:** - GLOW (Sunday School for primary aged children) - Summer Children’s Church - Praise Band - Choir Plus - Presbyterian Women - Life Groups - Midweek 7 - Bowling Club - Jazz Hub - Gardening Hub - Parents and Toddlers - Friday Club (primary aged children) - Holiday Bible Club - Friday Night Thing (Y7-Y10 young people) - Guides - Rainbows - for girls aged 4 to 7 years old. - Brownies - for girls aged 7 to 10 years old. - Guides - for girls aged 10 to 14 years old. ## **Volunteers** The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on committees and helping with organisations and other church activities. All volunteers working with children and at-risk adults undergo an Access NI background check and that training is given in safeguarding procedures in line with PCI Safeguarding Policy. ## **PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT** The Presbyterian Church in Ireland meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by making known the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion. The direct benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church include the gaining of an understanding in Christian beliefs as set out in the Bible and in the Church’s subordinate standards (the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms) leading to spiritual and moral development and opportunities for response to Bible teaching. In turn, this framework leads to practical expressions of Christian beliefs and standards in the local community such as through the care of those in need (including the sick, disabled and bereaved). Generally, the above benefits are delivered locally by congregations and their members, or are facilitated through presbyteries or are organised and delivered centrally. Local delivery is facilitated by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of notice boards, printed material, press advertisement, websites, and social media or in other ways. The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the services and informal and ad-hoc feedback from members, their families, and members of the public. 8 The purpose does not lead to harm. The only private benefit flowing from our purpose is related to Ministers, Missionaries, Deaconesses, Irish Mission workers and Lay Agents who receive benefits as a result of their holding office or employment. However, this is incidental and necessary in order to further our charitable purpose. There are no other private benefits. The beneficiaries of this purpose are members, their families, other individuals that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in direct and indirect contact with, the community in which pastoral services are provided and other communities throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and worldwide which benefit from our engagement with and support for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual members of the public. The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit requirement statutory guidance. ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 198 contributors donating a total of £111 143 during the year compared with 193 contributors donating a total of £103 090 in the previous year. The total Income of the congregation during the year was £230 681, compared to £198 954 in the previous year. This is a 15.9% increase on the previous year. Total expenditure increased from £186 446 to £234 300. This is a 25.7% increase on 2022. ## **RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the congregations and the financial activities for that year. In preparing the financial statements the Trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Funds will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the funds’ transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the congregations and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities (1 January 2015)”. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## **THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND** ## **ANNUAL REPORT** ## **For the year ended 31 December 2023** ## **GOING CONCERN** The activities of the congregation are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees are of the opinion that the congregation has sufficient resources at the date of approval of these financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and subject to the continuing support from members to fund, on an ongoing basis, the congregation’s current activities and other financial commitments. ## **RESERVES POLICY** The congregation holds a Reserves Fund of £5000. The Trustees consider that the funding of its present activities is dependent on the ongoing financial support of members; a financial report is made by our treasurer 7 times per year for close monitoring of income and expenditure. ## **RISK REVIEW** The trustees risk manages in the following areas: Finance; Health & Safety; Child Protection; Food Preparation; Disability Access; Data Protection; Social Media; Work Environment and avoidance of disreputable behaviour by staff, elders and leaders. A review of major risks has been undertaken by the Trustees and systems and procedures implemented to manage identified risks. The principal risks are in relation to the likelihood of reputational damage and financial risks associated with the expectation of ongoing financial support from members. These risks are mitigated by the Trustees, and the Congregational Committee, regularly monitoring the various activities of the congregation at stated meetings and by encouraging members in their regular giving. 10 an Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 20th February 2024 and signed on its behalf by: [Namel A￿￿LÉ￿j Tr4 tLC LL/J•wO [Name] [Signature] [Signature] [Date] 2oZ<. QUALIFIED INDEPENDENf EXAMINERS REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES OF GLENGORMLEY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND (To be provided by the Independent Examiner) 11